Durban — Simba SC CEO Barbara Gonzalez has confirmed they will lodge an official complaint against Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi over his post-match comments this past weekend.
The Buccaneers suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Simba in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
However, it was the Pirates mentor that made the headlines as he let rip on the treatment his side were subjected to by their Tanzanian hosts and the standard of officiating in their match.
Simba have since hit back, denying any ill-treatment of the Soweto Giants and overly stating that it was in fact Pirates that displayed a great deal of unprofessional behaviour.
"As a result of false and defamatory allegations made by coach Ncikazi, Simba will file a formal complaint to CAF and through the diplomatic channels to address the severity of what was alluded to," Gonzalez said in statement.
"Amongst other things, Orlando Pirates arrived over an hour late to the official training session set by CAF, yet stadium officials were kind to accommodate them despite their deliberate attempt to stay as far away from the stadium as possible."
Simba and Pirates will meet again at the weekend in the second leg of this fixture and the visitors have pleaded with both the South African and Tanzanian government to ensure that their visit is a safe one.
"As we prepare for our CAFCC 2nd leg quarter-final match in South Africa on the 24th of April 2022, we humbly ask the Government of Tanzania and the Government of South Africa to accord us all the necessary security ahead of our travel.
“The in-direct threats to our safety and security are not to be dismissed, and should anything happen to Simba during our stay, we will understand the route of any incident.”
IOL Sport